The Pirate King's New Clothes
by nekked
Summary: Margaret bestows upon Luffy some new threads...and a little something extra to remember her by. — Luffy/Margaret


**A/N:** _I do not own One Piece or any of its affiliated characters. _

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><p>"Hebihime-sama is waiting for us," I called impatiently.<p>

"Margaret, I'm really not sure about this."

"Luffy, they _aren't_ ruffles."

"…They kinda look like it." I could almost feel the pout in his voice.

"Oh, stop being so difficult."

"It doesn't look good on me."

"I'll be the judge of that. Since I made it," I pointed out. "And besides, your taste in clothing is awful."

"I liked my vest."

"Hush. Your vest was falling apart."

He peeked his head out from the brush, glaring at me. Then, as if he couldn't have finished that part in private, he emerged struggling to button his new shorts.

"This is harder to do than my old ones," he muttered, frustration audible in his voice. He blinked and thrust his hips forward imploringly. "Help me."

"It's just because the fabric isn't worn out like your old ones," I said, walking over and tugging the two sides of his pants together. "The button should…"

Oh. No wonder it wouldn't fit.

"Oops," I said leaning over a little and frowning. "I forgot to make the button hole."

"Shishishi. Margaret you dork, you were so busy putting girl stuff on my clothes…"

"Those are _not_ ruffles, Luffy," I argued, taking the knife attached to my thigh and cutting a slit so the button would go through. "Now try."

He stuck his tongue out a little, concentrating on fitting it through. "It worked," he confirmed, tugging at the now secure shorts just to be sure.

"They might be a little more stiff than the old ones for a time, but you'll break them in and won't even notice a difference after awhile," I said smiling. He grinned back.

"Thanks Margaret."

"Now, let me see the shirt."

For the first time, I got a good look at him in the shirt I'd made. I frowned and gave him an unamused look.

"See?" He said. "It looks awful."

"It's on _backwards_, idiot."

"…Oh. Shishishi! No wonder, then…"

"Here, let me," I offered, pulling the fabric from his arms. He watched me turn it around in my hands. He had apparently managed to get it on inside out as well. My fingers brushed against the brass buttons I'd sewn on, the ones I bought on my first voyage as a member of Hebihime-sama's crew only a year before. It felt strangely nostalgic to touch them again.

"Listen to me, Luffy," I said quietly, holding the shirt sleeves out. "Oh, hold out your arms."

He complied and I continued talking as I put the shirt on him.

"I had many adventures with Hebihime-sama while you were on this island training," I started, sliding the silk over his arms. "This fabric. I got it when we visited Elephante Isle near the Sand Lands in South Blue. That was only a few months after you first started training with Rayleigh-san."

"Elephante Isle," he mused, staring at the shirt sleeves as I stepped back to admire my work. "Was it cool there?"

"Mm. It was…'cool'," I said, giggling. "Hold still, there's a string near here…"

"Can you tell me about it?" He asked eagerly, eyes bright with curiosity. I laughed and bit the string between my teeth.

"I don't think so. When you're Pirate King," I said fondly, "you'll want it to be a surprise for when you visit it yourself."

"Oh. Yeah! You're right!" He said laughing.

I smoothed the fabric on his shoulders, trailing my hands down his arms until I was holding the flared sleeves. I looked him in the eye.

"These aren't feminine. I made it this way so you can move more freely. A three quarter sleeve allows you to stretch better than a long sleeved shirt."

"Then wouldn't a vest have been the best choice?" He asked, returning my gaze.

"I don't know where you'll be going," I said in a soft voice. "This way, if it's chilly, your arms won't be cold."

He blinked and looked at the sleeves again, as if he'd gained a different perspective about them. He grinned.

"Thanks Margaret! I never even thought of that."

"I know. That's why I'm the seamstress and you're…well, you're just you," I said shrugging and smiling to myself. He pouted a little, confused as to whether that was an insult or not. He watched me finger the buttons, which were still undone, the loose shirt fabric brushing against his stomach. I turned pink when I realized I was staring. Men are so very different than women...

"What about these," he asked, touching the one in between my fingers. "Did these come from Elephante Isle too?"

"Uh-huh. My favorite memory on the voyage happened while I was buying these."

"Eh? What happened?"

I furrowed my brow in thought. It might be hard to explain to someone who hadn't been there.

"Well, the people there have things called Evening Markets. At night, shop keeps put out things for people to buy like sweets and really nice items that might not attract as many people during the day in the regular market," I explained. "Sometimes, they're like a big festival. With music and dancing…" I grinned widely, my cheeks reddening a little at the memory. "I'd never seen men and women dancing before…"

"Was that what you liked?" Luffy asked, giving me a funny look. I nodded.

"Everyone looked so happy. Twirling and smiling…we do ritualistic dancing at the feast of the Snake Goddess, but it feels…different."

"So you like dancing?"

"Mm. It looked fun."

"It is fun," Luffy said, a grin overtaking his face.

"You like dancing, Luffy?"

"Yep." He held out his hand expectantly. "Wanna dance with me?"

I nodded, not surprised that he had read my mind. He grasped my hand firmly and, with neither grace nor technique, guided me around the jungle clearing in a chaotic mess of skips and spins. And I had the time of my life, just like I knew I would.

"HAHAHAHAHA! That was so much FUN!" He yelled, falling into step with me as I finally decided we'd kept Hebihime-sama waiting long enough. I nodded in agreement, sweat making the hair near my neckline curl even more than usual.

"It wasn't quite the same as I remember," I pointed out teasingly. He stuck his tongue out.

"Dancing is dancing. If you're not having fun, then it's no good."

"I agree," I said, nodding. "But…there's still one missing element."

He stopped walking when I did and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his new jeans, raising an eyebrow.

"We forgot something? Your favorite thing, right? Wasn't the dancing-"

"I liked the dancing," I said, moving closer. "I never said it was my favorite part. You assumed all on your own."

"Well, then what-"

I leaned over and pressed my lips to his, trying to copy what I'd seen. I pulled away after a few seconds. He looked surprised.

"Whoa. What was that?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. But it looked nice. So I thought I'd try it."

"Oh," he blinked, scratching at his neck with one hand. "That was your favorite part?"

I looked at him in thought, finally taking the time to properly admire the shirt. How it looked on him. It was nice. And he'd wear it, taking it with him wherever he ended up. It was like a little piece of me would be going with him. And I really liked knowing that.

"Ya know," I whispered, leaning in again, "I think it might be."


End file.
